Hello
by WhitishBlack
Summary: 'His fingers were much too gentle, she noticed.' - Ivan Karelin / Origami Cyclone x OC. Because, you know. A simple hello can lead to a million things.
1. Hide-and-Seek

_Prologue_

**A simple hello...**

"Oh! Edward, would you mind doing me a favour?"

Edward blinked, pausing in mid-conversation with Ivan. His gaze settled on the brown-grey haired principal, who smiled brightly from the classroom's entrance. Principal Massini beckoned him forward, and the russet-haired boy stood.

"Come on Ivan!" Edward nudged, and albeit a little reluctantly, the blond followed Edward as he walked out of the classroom; away from the curious eyes.

The door to the class slid shut.

"Would you mind finding the new student? I'm sure you can handle her, Edward," the man nodded towards the top student. "Ah and Ivan, you can go with him," he said, acknowledging the student beside the brunet.

The pair exchanged a weird look with each other - 'handle'?

Then, without questioning him, Edward said, "Sure."

Immediately, a relieved light entered Principal Massini's eyes, and he shifted his arm to gain a more comfortable hold on the documents in his hand.

"Great!" He uttered cheerfully, before making a move to turn. "I'll excuse you for your teacher."

And then, just like that, he had disappeared into the classroom.

There was a short silence.

"Let's go!" Edward grinned. Ivan cracked a small smile at his best friend, before nodding slightly.

Classes were currently on, and instead of disturbing them, the two exited the school building and made their way towards the courtyard.

"What do you think she'll be like?" Edward asked casually.

"...she?" Ivan questioned, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"The principal said 'her'! Geez, Ivan, if you want to be a hero with me you have to do better than that!" Edward teased. The joking smile on his face faltered as the pale-haired sixteen-year-old's lips tilted downwards into a grimace, and his shoulders slumped.

"...can I really become a Hero?" Ivan muttered, staring at his feet. "It's impossible... for someone like me..."

Edward frowned. He turned to face his friend, and they both stopped, a few feet from the statue of Legend.

"That's not true-!"

"You're lucky Edward," Ivan whispered, "Everyone says that once you graduate, you're bound to become a hero... I'm just a failure."

There was a sigh.

"Are you giving up?" The top student demanded, his eyes fixed on Ivan.

"But... my power isn't useful like yours!"

There was a small sound, but they both passed it off as the wind, which scattered a few leaves into the air.

"You'll be fine! Surely, there is something only you can do!" Edward insisted, his purple orbs shining.

"Something only I can do?"

"We'll both become heroes, I'm sure-"

This time, the sound they heard from before grew louder. What was it? Interrupted, Edward and Ivan could only search with their eyes for the source.

It was... someone talking. Or rather, cursing.

And it was coming from the statue nearby.

When both their eyes set on the student, they blinked.

A mop of black hair appeared, followed by a crouching body. They moved closer, to get a better view of the person. It was a girl. Her hands were fumbling with a dark piece of fabric; her uniformed back the only thing visible. For some reason, she was sitting within the bushes and not on the path. The grass rose to veil the lower half of her figure, and bits and pieces of green were sticking out from her hair. Another curse resounded from the girl as she-

"Hey!"

With a surprised squeak, she fell backwards and hit her head against Legend's foot. Yet another swear word left her mouth, but this time, they got a clear view of her face. Her eyes fluttered open, a glowing blue- and Edward fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Ivan's eyes followed his figure as he collapsed to the ground, and horrified, he only gaped.

"Shi-"

"What did you do?!" The teenager cried out, rushing towards his friend.

"D-don't-"

His eyes met hers. And he too, fell.

Silence.

Lia let out a frustrated yell, scrunching the black piece of fabric in her hand. The two figures slept soundly on the ground, and she glared at them.

"Idiots," she hissed out, and yet, she stood there, in the bushes, just frowning at the two boys.

Her eyes travelled to the item she was holding, and her frown deepened.

Then, she stepped out from the garden, and merely settled herself on the small waist-height wall that separated the pathway from the statue. Well, what could she do anyway? She didn't know where to go, after getting dropped off suddenly by her father. She didn't want to become a Hero, so why was she even at the academy?

"What's the point of asking questions when I know the answer...?"

Her mouth snapped shut. She sounded like an idiot, talking to no one. Someone once said it was better to... what? She forgot. Never mind. She shouldn't take anyone's advice but her own, after all - she told herself.

Lia eyed the two listless bodies on the ground. They... weren't awake yet. A sigh tumbled from her lips, and she raised her hands in front of her face, and stared at them. They were a tan colour, like the rest of her body, due to her background. And in the sun, which was playing hide-and-seek with the fluffy white clouds in the sky, it shone with a slightly yellow tint - another feature from her bloodline.

Five minutes ticked past.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Then twenty.

How long did the classes go for, in this academy?

Then, finally, the blond boy on the floor shifted, and sat up groggily. Finally.

"...h-huh?" It was a confused, quiet exclamation.

She turned her head away from the boy, and begrudgingly held out the cloth to him.

"Tie this for me," she demanded, as soon as he realised the situation.

There was a moment of quiet. Slowly, his fingers grazed hers as he pulled the fabric from her hand. She bit her lip silently, and realised that the boy wasn't doing anything because he didn't know what exactly to do. Something bubbled up in her - if he didn't know, shouldn't he just ask? Geez.

"My eyes," she explained, half-annoyed. "That's where my... power is channelled..."

'Power'. She didn't like the word. But really, did she seriously have to explain everything to the guy? It was a waste of breath.

She didn't mean to put them to sleep. Her powers awoke only recently - so how could she be expected to use them perfectly?

It was their fault they looked.

Her train of thoughts crashed when the pale-haired boy shuffled a little too close, and she scrunched her nose as he slipped the fabric over her eyes with ease, and tied it. His hands were much too gentle, she noticed.

She didn't bother to thank him, and instead, took her time to pinpoint the exact location where the two were. It wasn't that hard, seeing as how she could make out their figures from the thin cloth of the blindfold, but at least - they couldn't see her eyes. Her eyes were the problem.

Silence. Again.

Ivan's copper-haired companion was still sleeping.

Lia fingered the collar of the Hero Academy uniform. How awkward.

"Are... you the new student?" His voice was hesitant. She wouldn't have admitted it, but she was glad he spoke.

"Duh."

He didn't speak.

She kind of regretted that.

"Your name," the girl muttered, attempting to make conversation.

The boy had blinked up at her, surprise reflected in his eyes. Not that she had seen it, considering.

"I-Ivan Karelin..."

Ivan, huh?

"Lia Phan," she stated simply. As if on second thought, she added, "Hello."

**...can lead to a million things.**

* * *

So I guess this is kind of like a prologue.

...there should be more Tiger and Bunny fics around here, especially OC ones. So, if you didn't see it in the summary (which I doubt), this is an:

Ivan Karelin/ORIGAMI CYCLONE x **OC** fic. Don't like, then don't read.

I do not own Tiger and Bunny.

Thank you for reading. Oh, and I notice that Lia saying 'hello' is kind of odd, but you know.

A simple hello can lead to a million things.

And uh, I guess...

**Review, you ghost readers. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)**

**And also... it gets better. I know these first few chapters aren't that great but if you stick with me, I'll try my best to make it better.**


	2. Solitude

**Some people cry, not because they are weak...**

"Hello."

He blinked.

'Hello'?

Black wisps of hair flew around the girl's face. Abruptly, she had swung her head so that it was facing away from him, and then, she stood. Taken aback, the boy's eyes widened - did he do something to offend her? Before he could ask, Lia muttered something inaudible, and was gone. Well, she didn't just disappear. Indigo orbs followed the teen's small figure as she ran off into the distance, clear with bewilderment.

And then, she really was gone.

For some reason, she reminded him of something... but what?

A frown marked his face, his eyebrows scrunching in thought. What was it...?

She reminded him of...

His features brightened; she was like a-

An unexpected screech broke through his mind, and the sixteen-year-old lifted his head.

"Ivan- Edward?!"

Ivan glanced up, his hands folded in his lap. The bell had rung, and Principal Massini had come sprinting towards him with a look of alarm highlighting his aged features. A jolt of realisation struck the boy - he... actually kind of forgot that Edward was still there, on the floor. What kind of person was he to just-

"...I'm guessing you found the new student, Lia," the Principal murmured when he reached the pair, looking at Edward with something akin to regret.

"I should have told you two about her power as a NEXT..." the man heaved a troubled sigh.

Her powers... did the blindfold have to do with anything?

This time, the blond's lips pursed in thought, and he quipped unsurely, "She... had a blindfold...?"

Maybe it had something to do with her powers.

"Yes... I gave her that this morning. It appears she got into a fight with her father, who dropped her off here. Then, well, she ran off, which is why I asked you two to find her."

At this statement, a soft groan escaped Edward. Alert, the two rushed towards him.

Edward sat up, and rubbed a spot on his head.

"A-are you okay?" Ivan was the first to speak, which surprised the adult slightly. Ivan was normally an extremely quiet student... but it made sense if the two were friends. Interesting, Massini mused, how Edward was typically popular as the top student, and Ivan was practically the opposite, always in the background.

"Y-yeah," Edward replied, but wincing when his fingers swept past an especially tender spot.

"W-what about the girl, Principal Massini?" Edward immediately questioned, removing his hand from his head.

Nodding, the Principal answered, "Yes, Lia Phan. she's sixteen years of age, a year younger than you two, am I right-?"

"What about her power?" Edward asked instead of answering, a glimmer of curiousity and impatience in his eyes.

"She has the ability to... well, put people to sleep, but as you may know," the Principal shot a look at Edward, "She doesn't have... full control of it."

It didn't surprise the two, since not many NEXTs could actually master their powers when they first awoken.

There was a short silence.

"It's a shame," the head of the school hummed thoughtfully, "She has potential. Her power would be great as a Hero. It doesn't look like she'll be able to control it soon though..."

Edward blinked at the statement - potential... as a Hero?

Only one person was selected to be a Hero every year to be approved by the Administration of Justice...

Ivan noted the a determined glare suddenly appeared in his friend's eyes.

* * *

"Then what about your likes...?"

The Russian boy pondered over this question for a long while. Lia's deadpan gaze fixed on him when suddenly, his face became a palette of reds. She presented him with a bizarre look as he figured out a way to word his answer.

"...J-Japan," he murmured. He averted his eyes from Lia's blindfolded face and stared at the table before him.

"..." Lia's mouth opened, and then closed.

"..." Ivan's gaze did not falter and the table held it evenly.

"Pfft-" Laughter poured from the girl's lips, and the whitish-blond haired boy's face reddened even more. He waited patiently until the female quietened, and finally, she scribbled down 'Japan' in messy handwriting on the survey (although Ivan didn't have the heart to tell her that she missed the allocated area to write the answer on - maybe it was difficult to see trivial/small things through the blindfold?).

"Was that so hard?" She grinned crookedly, not understanding how the boy could've taken so long to say just one word. The Asian examined his face through the thin fabric covering her eyes.

What she saw made laughter erupt from her mouth all over again.

The way his eyebrows furrowed, and the way his bottom lip jutted out slightly - he was pouting, for goodness' sake.

"W-what about you?" He suddenly insisted, and she paused. Then, she smirked.

"What I like... huh," she said to herself, leaning on the table slightly.

"I-"

"Hah! She probably doesn't like anything!" Edward butted in, making the two look up. He held his own survey in his hands, smirking.

Lia raised a brow, a bit confused at the way the brunet was treating her, but otherwise slightly offended.

"...are you an idiot? Is that supposed to be an insult?"

A scowl split across Ivan's best friend's lips, and he remarked, "Well, I'm not the one who can't control her powers!"

Lia mimicked his scowl.

"Oh yeah? Who's the one who looked in the first place?" So maybe that wasn't the best comeback she ever said, but it was still something.

"At least-"

The bell rang, signalling the end of class, and the beginning of lunch. A teacher strode towards their table to collect their surveys.

"Did you get to know your classmates better, Lia?" She asked cheerfully, albeit a little too brightly for Lia's tastes.

"Yes," Lia replied truthfully.

"As if, too many people were freaked out by her to-" Lia paid no heed to Edward's statement, and instead gathered her and Ivan's paper to give to the teacher. The blond blinked, and his head was tilted to the side a fraction as he watched her, but he made no move to stop the girl as she handed the sheets to the teacher, who gladly accepted. As she bid goodbye to the teacher, she went past Ivan, and stopped beside the boy for just a minute.

"I was... about to say..." A grimace was sketched onto her lips. Her voice, even, was hesitant and it sounded as if she were in pain - which was weird, although they couldn't really judge because they had only known her for a few days.

"I actually like Japanese music," she uttered. "S-so we have something in common, I think."

Before any of the two could say anything, she rushed off.

As her initial happiness (_happiness?_ - she thought - she didn't know why she was smiling like she was), her demeanour soon soured. Top students were meant to be role models, yes? And role models were supposed to be nice... weren't they? The sixteen-year-old girl pursed her lips. She sat in front of the statue of Legend and sighed, a rush of awkwardness bubbling inside of her as she watched other NEXTs converse and have lunch together. No one... noticed her? Or maybe they _were_ 'freaked out' by the fact she had a blindfold on. If push really came to shove, she could just hang out with- no. She was fine alone. That'd probably be even more uncomfortable. Maybe.

She lowered her head; her mouth a straight line.

And then-

She clutched her head in her hands, grimacing. What were those balls made of-?!

"S-sorry, little girl!" It was one of the more older students in the Academy that called out to her. Little girl? She was sixteen, legal age to live alone (with parent's permission, of course). She wasn't little-

A shadow fell upon her figure, and with her eyes narrowed, she glanced up. Of course.

"What the hell is your problem?" She spat, removing her hands from her head and standing up.

"Problem? I have none. It's your fault. But hey... who's the one who got hit in the first place?"

She recognized those words, similar to her own earlier in the day. She gritted her teeth and stood. But she didn't speak.

She waited for him to leave, but he didn't. He looked... smug?

What did he want from her?

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did? Alright? You don't like me. I get that!" Did she damage his pride or something? Did other people see him as 'weak' because she accidentally used her power on him or something? What was it? But even if she knew, it probably wouldn't make a difference.

She was reminded of the reason she was in the city, in the Academy for Heroes. Sure, her powers was a good enough reason, but even so, she didn't want to be there.

Because she was just sick, and tired. Of all the things happening one after the other.

Of the fighting.

Of her parents who didn't love her enough to stay together for her sake.

This was why she didn't like adults. They lied. She didn't like marriage, or love either. Because marriage was just a contract, just writing, and love... wasn't real. Because if her parents claimed they loved each other before, why did they not love each other now? Wasn't love supposed to last forever?

"Just-just, leave me alone, okay?!" Who was she talking to? Edward? Or maybe it was just her, telling her thoughts to go away so she could stop and just gather the pieces of her mind.

A drop of liquid stained her blindfold. She was crying, in front of the guy who had absolutely no reason to be so... what was the word - unfriendly - towards her.

God, she was pathetic. Why was she crying? Edward, as well as some other NEXTs, were looking at her with a strange mixture of concern and perplexity. She wasn't crying... much, right?

She ran.

She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

It was still very early into lunch when she slammed open a door to an empty class. The ring of the door banging shut resounded, and she was by herself. Then, feebly, she crawled into a small corner in the room and merely curled her knees to her chest.

There weren't any tables or chairs in the room - it looked so...

...

A pang of loneliness strung inside of her, and something - a noise - escaped her throat. A small, helpless whimper.

It surprised both her, and the poster on the wall.

"Why... are you crying?"

The girl jumped, letting out an uncharacteristic squeak, and backed further into the wall. Her hands, trembling just a little, raised to the area her eyes were, and found the cloth covering them, damp. Oh. So she was still crying.

Alert, her dark eyes darted across the room, but to no avail. Slowly, Lia's shoulders relaxed. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, wishing for someone other than herself, to actually fully take away the negative feelings inside of her, instead of just hiding them away.

When she looked up for the last time, a head popped into her vision. She stared at it for a moment, before squeezing her eyes shut, for at least a few minutes. She wasn't seeing things, was she?

"Miss Lia?" Miss?

She opened her slightly tearful eyes. Who would call her... 'miss'?

Suddenly, the outline of the head had disappeared and in its place... what was it? A shadow of sorts...

"Miss... Lia?" It repeated.

"I-I-Ivan?!" The girl cried, shocked as the aforementioned person materialised in front of her, as if out of nowhere.

The figure, Ivan, did not speak. Instead, his hand reached out, and then paused. And he asked again.

"Why are you crying?"

Her cheeks scorched, and she immediately replied, "I'm not crying!"

Cue the raising of a brow.

"I- None of your business..."

She winced at the sound of her voice. Not that it had been especially biting, but rather, the opposite. It was weak.

He knew that too.

They sat there, each other looking at nothing in particular, just... -was it, maybe, too naïve for her to say - relishing in each other's company? Or at least, if not that, she just glad for the presence of a living, breathing person, not just an embodiment of misery and isolation in one.

And at the same time, she was embarrassed, curious and... grateful. She decided to go with the one emotion that wouldn't really damage what was left of her pride.

It felt like an eternity; finding her voice.

"How... did you do that?" She finally asked.

He blinked.

"That poster..." She pointed towards a poster on the wall, which told of an upcoming excursion to some place she most likely didn't want to go to.

"Ah," the boy murmured in acknowledgement.

She stared at him through her blindfold, waiting for him to explain. But he didn't. She pursed her lips, and turned her head away from his gaze, which was unreadable. She wasn't sure what to make of this situation - why was he looking at her, as if he was asking for permission or something...?

And when she glanced back, it was her turn to blink in confusion.

It was her.

A mirror-image, or a replica, or a clone, or a doppelganger - whatever it was, it looked exactly like her. So, uncomprehendingly, Lia reached out and pinched the thing's cheek. It actually felt... softer than hers? Wonder flitted across her eyes, and Lia continued to poke at the other Lia's cheek.

The other Lia lifted her arm and began to mimic her actions. The hand groped softly at her cheek, and a weird feeling shot through real Lia's body, but she shrugged it off as the idea of a person looking exactly like her - blindfold, short-ish straight black hair, skin colour and all - touching her.

"Like mochi," the clone whispered, but the Asian didn't register it in her mind. If this person looked like her, then...

The girl had released her hold of the other Lia's cheek, and began to tug off the blindfold. It fell, revealing glowing blue eyes.

...but she didn't feel anything.

This other Lia... didn't have the real Lia's NEXT power?

"Ivan?" She queried, eyes widening. The disguised boy looked at her with a look of expectancy. 'Duh', Lia Number Two's eyes said. Okay, it was starting to freak the sixteen-year-old out.

But she smiled anyway.

And then, there was what could be taken as giggling.

It turned into full-blown laughter. A few seconds into it, the boy changed back, and when he did-

"You're something."

Without letting the startled blond a chance to speak, she continued, "Your power..."

For a second she hesitated, and he noticed. He stiffened, as if preparing himself - but the female didn't notice. Her lips parted -

"I like it. It's cool."

A moment of apprehension, and then realization.

The boy lowered his head. His whitish-yellow hair fell into his face, masking his purple-blue eyes.

Lia shifted uncomfortably. Was he... bowing? A minute crawled by. Unsure whether or not to interrupt him, she-

He lifted his head, and his eyes, to Lia, were very pretty at that moment. Happy.

"Thank you," he told her softly, earnestly.

She smiled. It was hardly noticeable, but there was a sort of gentle gleam in the girl's eyes.

She didn't know whether to tell him or not, but she had heard his talk with Edward. How he doubted his abilities. He was insecure, she deducted.

Very insecure.

A part of her felt as if it was her duty to make him feel the opposite.

The bell rang.

Quickly, she felt the portion of cloth around her eyes, and was satisfied that it was dry. When her hand fell back to her side, a different hand moved into her line of sight. The same, pale hand that was Ivan's.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she gripped it firmly, and stood.

She was strong...

...and maybe, she mused, life wasn't so bad after all, what with being extremely awkward, and having unreliable parents.

Yeah.

She'd be okay.

Before the two exited the classroom, Lia said, "Oh and Ivan?"

Ivan turned his head towards her.

"I have brown eyes."

**...but because they've been strong for too long.**

* * *

I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes. Tell me if there are.

So can anyone tell me what Lia reminds Ivan of? And if anyone doesn't know what mochi is... look it up~! A hint: squishy (that might be too much of a hint though). _oh and i'll be asking this question but no one will answer darn ghost readers -sigh-_

But anyway, thank you for reading. There was never anything saying stuff about how the Hero at the Academy was chosen or if they'd even become a Hero after being selected at the school, so I made it that one student each year would be selected, and if the Administration of Justice (you know, Yuri Petrov, Maverick, the Mayor etc) thought they were good enough, then they'd let them become a Hero.

**Also, to clear things up a bit - Edward's character:**

I don't think I'm making him /too/ mean. I just think, as the top student, he is nice. Meaning, he really does believe Ivan and him can become Heroes together at some point. But there's also the fact that Lia, randomly showing up and accidentally putting him to sleep and all (which is not powerful, but can be useful - it's debatable), kind of well, I don't think he would appreciate that. Especially since the Principal was like: she has potential, and all. And remember that Lia can't even control her power - so whoever looks her in the eye immediately gets knocked unconscious - friends or foe. I repeat: it's not an amazing power like... um, controlling animals and riding on them and being able to turn into one and being all beastly and awesome and **omgiaminvincible** - okay (I made this up on the spot, I'm not talking about anything/anyone)? Edward sees her as a rival of sorts.

**And Ivan's character:**

I'm pretty sure I have him in character, from what I've gathered from what Principal Massini said in episode 8 of T&B. Quiet, hiding behind his closest friend, Edward... of course, room for character development, but that happens when Kotetsu and such happen.

And uhm, about the 'I have brown eyes' bit - it's because Ivan only saw her when her power was activated that he transformed it like that; I'm sure you guys know that most of the powers in the anime glow blue (with the exception of Jake and etcetera, which glowed orange?). So yeah, Lia has brown eyes.

Review?


	3. To Fall

**Keep your friends close...**

"Go away!" She'd said once, when all there was, was complaints about how bad her grades were, about how she could be so, so much more-

-she'd flinched as well, when her mother fixed her with accusing eyes, smiling with poison in agreement.

"'Go away'?" The woman had repeated. "You want me to 'go away'?"

There was a greeting of silence.

"That's it, isn't it? You like your father more than me, right? That's why you want me to 'go away'! You're so ungrateful! I'm already sick, don't you know that? It'd be better if I was dead, huh, Lia? You love your father more than me after all. I'll just die. You won't miss me. And when I'm dead you know what? Your father will leave you. He'll leave you for another woman, someone more better than mummy."

She hated how her mother talked about dad behind his back - how could she say things like that? To her own kin?

...why would she even talk about her own death so easily?

She hated... things like that.

Things like her mother scowling at her dad's back whenever he talked about how messy the house was and how she should clean up more often after herself. Things like her dad shaking his head tiredly whenever the bills came up and mother would refuse to pay because she needed money for medicine and such. Things like her dad spending his birthday with relatives from his home town than at his own house, with his own family. Things like her mother not caring, not wishing him a simple 'happy birthday'.

Things like illness, like anger, like fighting...

"Yes, you'd be better off without me, wouldn't you Lia?"

A barely noticeable gulp to swallow the hateful emotions.

"Look, I didn't say-"

The door slammed shut, and then Lia was left alone in her- no, maybe she couldn't even call it a home. Sometimes she didn't even feel like she had a family, with all the arguing. They just couldn't be happy with each other, could they?

Her dad wasn't at home, visiting his sister and his brother and whoever was related to him far away, away from home - and her mum, working late at night at a hospital for money. A hospital. Ironic, really.

You'd think, as adults, they would notice how Lia didn't like it - 'it' being everything that was going on. No, she really didn't like it.

You'd think, as parents, they'd notice how they should just stop talking so venomously, and start being happy, for her, for their daughter.

The next day, when Lia went to normal school, everyone fell when their eyes met hers. Fell - to the ground, just like that.

And she wondered, confused and hurt and a lot of feelings in one - bitterly... if maybe she could fall too.

* * *

The door crackled, a peculiar sound for a door to make, as it slid open. Lia made her way to a random seat near Ivan, who she'd ask a day before if he was going on the school trip. There was no point in coming to the Academy if everyone went when she couldn't, after all.

And...

...it was odd.

"Hello Iv-... what are _you_ doing here?!"

"I could ask the same of you."

Ever since her fight (or whatever it was) with Edward the other day, he had been acting weirdly. So maybe he wasn't grovelling at her feet for forgiveness (not like she expected that, because, well, _ew_). And, like she thought he probably would have - he wasn't regarding her with cool indifference. Instead, he _talked_ to her. Sure, there were insults and comebacks involved, but there was no longer the slight menace that was there before.

Or maybe she was just over-thinking everything. Yeah, she tended to do that.

Or... maybe it was just that he thought she was weak now, that she had cried so openly.

Now that pissed her off. She was the OPPOSITE of 'weak' - so maybe she didn't have that much physical strength. It was her will that mattered, was it not?

Scowling, she glared at the brunet.

After at most - 30 seconds, he turned towards her with a smirk.

"Falling for me already?"

How did he know she was looking at him? Did he see her eyes through her blindfold?

The chair she was sitting on screeched against the floor and she fell with it as it swung backwards, hitting the ground hard on her bum.

"Che!" She spat, recoiling slightly, "As if!"

But she couldn't deny the mixture of embarrassment and surprise when he laughed out loud at her, grinning.

He didn't offer to help her up though.

And neither did Ivan, who looked to be in deep, deep thought.

She grumbled quietly to herself as she pushed her body off the ground, and rearranged her chair so she could sit on it once again. There was another silence. Lia heaved a sigh and resigned to lay her head on her desk. All the other students, as well as most of the teachers, had went on a trip to a museum of sorts, so they could learn more about the history of Heroes, NEXTs and the like. She had no qualms at staying behind at the Academy (she couldn't contact her parents), but with a bi-polar popular kid who seemed to be in hate-at-first-sight with her? Sure, he seemed to be more... what was the word - calm - now, but he was still pretty bi-polar in her opinion.

Ivan, well, he was...

Principal Massini walked in whistling a loud tune, effectively pulling all three of the students out of their thoughts.

"Ahh," he said in understanding, "So you're the three students leftover, I take it?"

The trio nodded.

The adult couldn't help but see the absolute stroke of chance that only the three teenagers were left. Fate maybe? It seemed undeniable.

And... it was a great chance to allow them to bond. The principal grinned brightly.

He shuffled the paperwork in his hands noisily. The students looked at him both confusedly and with slight suspicion - why was he smiling like that?

Then, as suddenly as he came in, he gave a slight nod and left, humming.

...the quiet returned.

The two boys weren't talking that much, only staring thoughtfully into the distance.

Briefly, she wondered how they got along so well... or maybe the silence was the answer. The bell chimed, but there was really no need for it. Edward stood and gathered his bag. Ivan was a little slower, but he followed Edward's actions. Unsure of whether to just stay in the classroom by herself, she just gazed at their shoes - boots, in Ivan's case - as they made their way towards the exit.

"Coming or what?"

It was an annoyed drawl.

Slowly, she let her eyes trail up, to Edward's face. Was he... inviting her to sit with him and Ivan... or something?

"I'm talking to you."

Edward was blunt. And he was kind of creeping her out.

Disconcerted, she stared at him. Why was he being so... talkative? Or at least, talking to her? He held his hand out to her and she cringed involuntarily.

He noticed this, and frowned.

Their eyes met, and the two engaged in a battle of wit and all the important things in the world, before Edward's lips quirked upwards and suddenly he turned to the only onlooker, Ivan.

"Ivan," he ordered, "Do this!"

Slowly, unsurely - the pale-haired boy stuck out his hand in front of Lia just like Edward - Edward pulled his hand back. Lia stared at the appendage, and then at Ivan's face, which looked slightly flustered. He didn't know what was going on either.

Ivan's hand was still held out awkwardly, and Edward seemed intent on something.

So, to avoid the continuation of the stillness in the air, Lia placed her hand in his with a deadpan stare, before tugging on it and bringing herself to stand beside the guy. What was the harm?

But in exact sync, the two glanced down at their joined hands, and an ambiguous quiet followed.

Loud guffaws tumbled from Edward's person, and Lia and Ivan blinked. Hurriedly removing her hand from Ivan's, she glared at the top student. He didn't stop like she wanted him to. Instead, the noise got louder.

"S-sorry," he apologized, making Lia scrunch up her face in confusion, "I just find it funny how you-"

He paused.

And a sinister-looking smirk stretched across his lips.

"What?" Lia demanded.

If possible, the smirk grew.

"C'mon Ivan!"

Edward pushed his friend towards the exit, and suddenly both of them disappeared from her sight.

She stood there for a moment.

"W-wait!"

She slipped her bag over her shoulder, clumsily knocking her shoulder into the door on her way out. She spotted the two walking casually through the hallway, and ran to catch up to them. They didn't speak, but they had acknowledged her. She could tell by the way Edward's mouth twitched into a smug smirk, and Ivan, too, had something on his face that resembled a smile. No, it was a smile, albeit small. She gave him a sideways glance, but then ducked her head, not wanting to risk eye contact.

She 'tsked' quietly to herself, but her two companions had heard it, and looked over at her. When she met their gazes, she merely turned her head and continued to walk. She noted; it was the first time she'd seen him smile (okay, it wasn't that much of a 'smile', but it was something - she reasoned).

...it was nice.

The hallway they were previously walking in had melted into the courtyard - they were now outside, and she briefly wondered when they were going to stop and decide a place to sit at. But they didn't, and only until the three paused in front of the school entrance did Edward speak up.

"I'm going to become a Hero," he stated, turning to face Lia. "And so is Ivan."

Loosening the grip she had on her bag strap, she raised a curious brow, "...and?"

"I'm not letting you walk with us because I want to."

Contempt and bafflement enveloped the girl, and she opened her mouth-

"It's because you're my rival. And I'll beat you."

She stared at him disbelievingly, and from the corner of her eyes she could see Ivan doing the same, just toned down.

"Keep your friends close... and your enemies closer," he recited, with that same irritating smirk.

She could see it in his eyes - the challenge he presented.

Why was she his 'rival' already? But still, the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

She could care less. She didn't even want to become a Hero anyway.

"Good."

He officially stepped out of the school, and Lia couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it still lunch?"

"School is pretty much over," was the curt answer she recieved. She looked over at Ivan, who nodded. Maybe there's been days where the academy's been on excursions, with only them two left? It might explain their friendship - and why they seemed used to it.

Wordlessly, she too, exited the school, and lastly, so did Ivan.

"So where are we going?" Lia asked after a short while of pitter-pattering footsteps. And even though Edward is the one walking in front of them, Ivan answered simply, with a hint of admiration tinting his voice, "An anime store."

Unbeknownst to the sixteen-year-old, Edward scowled.

And Ivan smiled.

* * *

"Ah, Ivan, look!"

Lia waved the DVD in the air, and Ivan's eyes lit up. Softly, he grabbed the Rurouni Kenshin case from her hand, and muttered, "Dub or sub...?"

She leant over his shoulder (which was slightly hard to do seeing as her chin just met it).

"Dual audio, I'm pretty sure. You know, Japanese dub and English subtitles?"

She couldn't see his face, but she was pretty sure he was giving that same smile again, or at least... he was happy. After all, he did seem like the type that preferred sub over dub.

"Weirdoes," Edward murmured, arms crossed.

Lia sent him a look.

"You're friends with one, aren't you?"

Edward shook his head, uninterested, and peered outside the store's window. People were crowding around something...

The female returned her attention to her blond friend, and tilted her head curiously. He was either still staring at the DVD, or something in his hands. She stepped towards him, and then around him to gain a closer look, and blinked. She was right. His wallet was in his left hand, and the anime in his right.

"Not enough money?" She guessed.

The boy jolted upright with momentary shock.

Then, he frowned.

"If you want, I can-"

A gun shot.

And then screams.

With wide eyes, the three students turned their heads towards the source; Ivan dropping the anime, and Edward and Lia dropping their bags. The shop owner would've opened his mouth to yell at Ivan, and tell him how delicate the item was, but he too had stopped to stare at the commotion going on outside.

"Let's go!" Edward was the first one to snap out of his trance, and was also the first to sprint out of the shop, and onto the streets.

When Lia realised she was just standing there and doing nothing, she looked over at Ivan, who seemed to be hesitating - so with that, she grabbed his hand and ran after Edward.

Maybe, that was a bad idea.

The crowd, in a bumbling panic, did not notice when the three teens pushed their way through. And yet as soon as they did, they were greeted with - to Lia - what seemed like a regrettable sight. The police were there already.

But they weren't doing a thing?

They were just pointing their guns weakly at the kidnapper; a man clad in black, the same colour as her hair - and the hostage; a woman donning a dark turquoise outfit.

"Get the car ready!" A gruff voice shouted, originating from the criminal.

"W-what should we do...?" The Asian heard an officer whisper.

"Have the Heroes arrived yet?" Another asked.

"Not yet..." Came the shaky reply.

Were they just going to wait? Weren't they _police_ for a reason? What if someone got hurt in the meanwhile? They couldn't just depend on the Heroes-

"Let's go, Ivan!" Edward uttered.

"E-eh?!" Ivan exclaimed quietly, eyes widening at the prospect.

"What about me, you douche?" Lia hissed, feeling left out.

The corner of Edward's mouth pulled upwards slightly, and he repeated, confident, "Let's go! We're going to settle this."

"But... using our powers outside is against the rules..."

...it was?

"That doesn't matter!" For once, she agreed with the brunet.

And yet, she - only very barely - had a small grasp on what Ivan was feeling. Doubt... and insecurity, was it not?

"Our powers are meant to save people!" Edward asserted, frowning. "What good are they if we don't use them?!"

...that was true.

Briefly, Lia wondered why the police weren't doing anything, so maybe it was because they couldn't... but surely...!

"But my power is..."

Shape-shifting. That... was also true. What could Ivan do with his power to help?

So Edward glanced at Lia with determined eyes.

"Lia," that was the first time he said her name, the black-haired girl noted, "Come on."

He took a step forward, and then looked back at Ivan.

"Don't worry! It'll be alright, Ivan. I'll- we'll back you up."

He grabbed Ivan's arm but he resisted. Lia merely watched, frowning eyes shielded from everyone's view by her blindfold. Her lips were a straight, thin line.

"I can't do this..."

She felt sad, not for, but at Ivan, if that was even possible. Maybe... even kind of disappointed - but what could she do? A person the pair only knew for a week or so? Not even...?

"You'll never be a Hero with that attitude!" Edward scowled, expressing the same disappointment in his angry tone, but tenfold. Then he ran and sunk into the ground with a tiny glow of blue surrounding him - not that Lia was surprised, much. His ability was ground-based, huh? Fitting... kind of. He seemed more like the fiery type - but the sixteen-year-old didn't have time to ponder, and gathering her courage, she too, stepped into battle - tugging off her blindfold. Brighter colours invaded her vision, colours she was so used to without the cloth around her head. As long as she didn't look into anyone's eyes but the enemies' then it should be fine.

"What's the hold-up? I'll kill her, you know!" As if to reinforce this statement, the kidnapper made a move to press his weapon against his victim's temple, and the lady let out a small, fearful cry.

Lia stepped towards him and when he glanced up, he stumbled - just stumbled. He didn't fall? He wasn't sleep-walking was he? No.

The spell wore off, and he murmured a 'huh' in confusion before blinking behind the protective lenses in front of his glasses.

Then, the man smirked, his eyes showing his understanding.

"A NEXT?"

Why wasn't he unconscious yet? Her powers... weren't working?

The timing was just so...

"But you're just a kid," a vicious laugh sounded, and a thought flitted across her mind - what was it like to die?

Surely it wasn't that bad (just to spite her parents - she thought acridly).

What was the feeling inside of her? Fear? Anxiety? Relief?

Or maybe she didn't want to die, as she watched and watched the man in slow motion, raise his arm - the weapon in his hand. Her life really wasn't that bad - wasn't she being selfish? 'Life's precious', was what everyone always said... but you never know, maybe she'd be reborn into another body? Into another life? Or at least she'd forever be in the sky, Heaven even. No?

...but...

She actually kind of liked how things were going for her right now, with a budding friendship with Edward, and Ivan, who she could possibly talk to about anime and all things Japanese with (_but of course, she didn't really know it'd change after this, maybe a bit or maybe a lot more_).

A sudden shout broke her train of thought - and startled, brick-brown eyes darted to find the voice.

Hands had appeared from behind the criminal, grabbing the gun from the man's hold. The villain fell - but caught himself just in time for Edward to grin and say, "Give up, old man."

Triumph and then caution.

Lia's eyes widened, but the kidnapper's comrades' had already closed in around Edward, who struggled in their hands. She made a move to help him - but holding yet another gun, the person who Edward had dubbed 'old man' turned towards her, pointing the tip of the weapon towards her.

She was lost as to what to do.

"Ivan, help! O-oi, Ivan!" Edward's cries...

...and then-

_Bang._

In exact sync, two guns were fired.

**...and your enemies closer.**

* * *

Ooh. So, I wasn't really going to end it there, but... yeah, haha. Thank you for the reviews, you precious people~ -glomps all-. I-I'm not sure whether I'm satisfied with this chapter, although I did want to get it out in time for Valentine's (which I failed miserably). So yeah, happy belated Valentines. Did you guys spread the love? I did. Because it was my friend's birthday on the day after (...it counts!), so cakes were made (by people other than me, but hey, cakes equal love, not lies).

Urgh.

Oh, and I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Urgh.

Did I get everyone in character...?

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I've read over it too much to decide what I think of it. Oh, and 'Vivi' covered by Road (an awesome singer on youtube~) is really good for inspiration. Or it's just nice to listen to, lol. And also 'The Beast' by Nano.

O-oh, and if you guys want to see progress on the upcoming chapters - check it out on mah tumblr, remove the spaces and well, instead of tee use 't':

h tee tee p : / / triangulasaurus. tumblr / fanfic

...only if you guys are actually bothered to check it out... but there's also a link on my profile.

So yeah.

Thanks for reading.


	4. Absence

**People always regret the things they didn't do...**

When Lia woke up that Thursday morning to the unrelenting beeping of her alarm, her nose was blocked and the side she was laying on was numb. She sat up, her short hair feeling oily and rough at the same time. A hand came up to rub at her crusty eyes, and abruptly, she crinkled her nose and sneezed.

Then, she fell back into the warmth of her bed, unwilling to walk to the Academy which was only a few blocks away.

She breathed in, and out.

The air was stuffy inside of her small apartment.

She released a small yawn, before shifting her legs over the bed's thin blanket, and stretching her legs out. A satisfied sigh escaped her slightly chapped lips, and she glanced at the bedside table with lazy eyes at her blindfold - her eyes softened.

It didn't take the girl long to get out of her bed, step into the kitchen, chuck a piece of toast in the toaster, and boil the water for a cup of green tea. And she thought - only one little fleeting thought - that she'd probably have to get Ivan to drink some later. Green tea originated from China, but the Japanese did drink it, and such. And the green tea she bought was made in Japan...

So... he'd probably like it, if he hadn't tried it already.

The slice of bread popped from the machine, and she took it in her hands, not minding the heat. A thin coat of sweetened, condensed milk, and absentmindedly, she chewed.

After doing her usual morning routine, she looped her fingers around her book-bag's strap, before eyeing a protruding item carefully. She pursed her lips.

To be or not to be?

Was that even the right quote?

Still, she tapped it back into her bag, and zipped it up properly so that it wouldn't fall out, and slipped it over her right shoulder. But before she went... she shot a look at the telephone on the kitchen bench. No messages. So they didn't call.

She turned her head away from the machine, disappointed but not expecting anything more or less.

The doorknob clicked as it turned.

And out she went.

As she walked, the shining colours of the sky, or the autumn-infected trees weren't things that Lia paid attention to.

The smell, however, was (she'd probably have to get used to wearing the blindfold for the rest of her life anyway). It was crisp, and refreshing. A nice change compared to her dusty apartment.

She entered the Academy grounds, when the walk she had suddenly seemed far too short. Maths was first class in the morning, and it wasn't something she wanted to go to... but still, she opened the door to her class. Or rather, she stared at it.

With slightly narrowed eyes, her hand reached out and she slid it open slowly.

Maybe, just maybe... she was kind of anxious.

And seeing the two empty spaces near her seat proved her worries and made her day darken. Of course, she had to expect one seat not sat on, but...

...the murmurs buzzing throughout the room didn't help.

And the looks her classmates were giving her didn't either.

She passed them without a second glance, and settled herself into her chair.

She took out a random object from within the confines of her bag, and fiddled with it, frowning. She had hoped it'd distract her, and she wondered why the teacher hadn't started the lesson yet. But wait, the teacher wasn't at class yet. Why was the teacher late? Teachers shouldn't be late.

Then, she sighed.

Unconsciously, she scratched at the item, away at its protective casing.

When she realized this, her eyes widened, and quickly, she slammed it back into her bag, frowning angrily at herself.

The day, so far, was kind of uneventful... but then again, it was only the start. What was she going to do though? There was no copper hair in sight, and nor was there pale.

That was when she caught bits and pieces of the conversations around her. It wasn't her fault though - they were being loud. Very loud.

Didn't they know that she could hear them?

"Edward did-"

The corners of her mouth tugged downwards, okay, so of course people would gossip a bit but they sounded so... shocked? Disgusted, even?

"No way, the top student-?!"

"Yeah, I know right?!"

Her eyebrows furrowed... know what? How surprising it was for Edward to have... killed somebody? But they didn't know the full story, did they?

"Kids these days-"

"-always so brash-!"

Her frown deepened. That wasn't true...

"But how could he-"

"To actually _kill-_"

And her lips tightened into a straight line. It was annoying her, the way they talked.

Wasn't Edward friends with a lot of them? Or wasn't he...? Because if he was, it wouldn't make much sense as to why their opinions of him changed so easily, in just a few days after he... but, even so, she guessed it was part of human nature? She wasn't perfect either...

"Why don't you all just shut the hell up?!"

But still, for some reason, she couldn't stand them talking like they were, so ignorantly and judge-fully She couldn't really control the outburst that left her lips, and her body didn't seem to listen to her mind either - as it shot up, knocking over her chair.

There was bone-crushing silence. But it only lasted for a few seconds.

"Edward did NOTHING wrong. It was an accident! So screw off!"

Besides, he wouldn't be in jail for too long right? It wasn't announced yet so...

...or maybe she just didn't know? But surely, someone would've told her, or at least she would've heard it.

Irritated, the Asian picked up her bag, and made her way out of the classroom in an attempt at a smooth exit. If only for the bunch of tables and legs that were involuntarily in her way. She bumped her foot into a table, effectively rattling it and making it fall over. A cry escaped the person occupying it, but she gracefully ignored it. Cursing beneath her breath and going just a fraction of red from the stares, she sprinted away from the class. It wasn't long before she stepped into the same room from a week or so ago, where she had cried, alone... and yet, not really alone.

And well, she wasn't that surprised that she saw the pale boy just standing there near the corner she previously occupied, in front of the poster he had turned into once.

The poster... containing the date the incident with Edward happened - October 19th.

Today was the 24th. A Thursday.

He didn't acknowledge her presence, but she didn't blame him - he could've been so immersed in thought he just didn't know she was there. Quietly, she walked past him, and into her corner. Sitting in it comfortably, she glanced up to see his reaction, but he was still eyeing at the wall. The change of positions allowed her to see his side rather than his back - and now, she noticed that he had raised a hand to touch the poster. His hand was stationary, and his eyes were unfocused.

There wasn't any doubt that he was thinking about Edward.

There wasn't any doubt... that he was probably blaming himself for what happened.

Lia could tell.

She did, after all, have a basic understanding of how his mind worked; eavesdropping that one day helped, even though - admittedly and guiltily - she had intruded in on one of his most vulnerable moments.

He looked like he was thinking much too hard, and frowning - "Ivan...?" She called albeit hesitantly.

The boy jumped slightly, his hand pulling back from the poster in a split second, as if it were licked by flames. They blinked at each other; his plum-coloured eyes wide, bewildered, and something else. He waited expectantly for her to say something, and when she realized this, she panicked. Why did she call his name? To stop him from over-thinking like she, herself, usually did? To say something inspirational or moving? She didn't have any skills in comforting people, and she usually couldn't word the things she wanted to say- like other people.

So she opened her mouth and closed it again.

Ivan's eyebrows furrowed, and Lia's own brow twitched.

Just what was she doing?

She bit her lip, before offering the boy a timorous grin.

But that wasn't in her character at all. She thought the elder teen had noticed that when a minute after tilting his head slightly, he nodded as if in understanding. This confused the Asian. Why did he nod? Why did he stare at her for a bit? Why... the questions twittered around in her head, and to her, the awkwardness remained. A sigh escaped her lips, and with it she tried to push her discomfort as well. It worked, a bit. Lia wasn't sure if he was trying to be subtle, but now he was looking at the poster yet again with his lips slouched downwards.

In a quick decision, she mumbled, "B-being a Hero isn't all that there is, right?"

Did she say that correctly?

"I-I mean, uh-" She cursed herself for stumbling over her words, "...uh. So what if Edward can't become a Hero? I mean-"

He had flinched when she said 'Edward'.

And when suddenly, he placed his eyes on her again... maybe if she had taken off her blindfold and looked closely enough she'd have seen the tears of shame and sadness.

"You don't know!" He cried. The words in Lia's throat died and she shut her mouth, congratulating herself for being such an idiot.

"You don't know..." The boy trailed off.

_'Then why don't you tell me?'_

-was the message she hoped to convey as she peeked at him, not taken aback... but cautious, more than anything else. The blond's eyes narrowed, and with a strangled voice, he disclosed, "Edward... is going to be there for a long time."

'There'... meaning jail?

But... did 'long time' mean a life sentence?

...surely not.

He stood there with his head bowed and the feeling of déjà vu spread throughout Lia. The same position from a few weeks ago, but nothing like when he had bowed to her before. She couldn't see his eyes, hidden behind yellow streaks of hair. He didn't want her to see them.

She didn't feel welcome, all of a sudden.

And it actually kind of hurt, to feel the feeling she felt at that moment.

Slowly, she unzipped her bag and dug out Rurouni Kenshin.

She stood up, walked over to the teenager, and placed it in front of him.

Then, she left.

She didn't come to her classes the next day.

No; she went to the same empty classroom, which she figured out was a room when assemblies were called (they were held very rarely though). Ivan was still there, oddly enough in the exact same spot, but this time, sitting down with his eyes shut. He almost looked asleep.

Carefully, she settled herself a safe distance from the person.

As she sat, pondering about random things, she noted that the DVD she placed in front of him the other day wasn't there.

Did he take it home? Or maybe put it in his bag? But there was no bag beside him? Where did he live?

There were so many things she didn't know.

And yet, she didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what she could say. It was painfully obvious that he was thinking about his power and his weaknesses and all the negative things about himself - but what about her? Her head lifted and she opened her mouth to speak.

"You know..."

He didn't budge from his position, so she really did wonder if he was asleep. Somehow, in this quietness, it was easier to speak.

"Your power really _is_ something. S-so don't beat yourself up about it?"

She cringed when her voice heightened an octave at the end. It sounded like she was asking a question, rather than comforting her kind-of-only friend.

"I mean... you know, I can't even control my own."

But what was she saying?

"...be happy...?"

She hit her head aggressively with her palm, before sliding her hand down her face in an attempt to cover the raging blush and shoo away the burst of embarrassment at her stupidity. What _was_ she saying?! Then, in the spur of the moment, she rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her hurriedly but softly as to not alert the classes around her. Realizing she left her bag in there, inwardly, she groaned and proceeded to sit on the floor.

Ivan's eyes slid open, and he stared at the doorway. Her shadow was visible through the tiny space beneath the door, and his mouth twitched.

But he didn't allow himself to smile at the girl's awkward attempts, because with all of his mind and soul even, he believed - he didn't deserve to.

When the lunch bell rang, the Asian escaped to the courtyard and hid in the bushes. She contemplated whether or not to go back - but in the end, she didn't.

Guilt swallowed her whole, and she promised herself that when she gained courage she'd go visit him again.

The following day was a Saturday however, and she didn't know where Ivan lived and she was pretty sure that the Academy was locked...

So it was a Monday when she returned to the Hero Academy, and to the assembly room.

Neither said anything, and all there was... was quiet.

...but maybe, the shared silence was better than just one person succumbing to dead air (or so Lia hoped that's what they _both_ took it as).

Tuesday.

Today, Lia decided, was a day that silence wasn't really healthy.

And yet, it wasn't even her that broke it.

"...your shoulder," the blond had prompted, eyes narrowed gently with both worry and regret.

"...my shoulder?" She deadpanned, covering the relief she felt from finally hearing the sound of his voice. She didn't even understand why.

She felt something poking at her left shoulder, the one that was facing Ivan, and when she looked down, it was his finger. It came across an sensitive aching spot and she flinched, backing away from the probing hand. Ivan frowned deeply, and pulled his hand away. Hastily, she said, "A-ah, _that _shoulder. It was just a graze, the bullet didn't even-"

"You fainted," he stated abruptly.

She grimaced at the mention.

"It was shock."

There was a pause.

"Okay... well... it did kind of hurt?"

Another lengthy silence.

"Okay! I get it! It hurt. But it-"

"It was my fault... all my fault," he mumbled, eyes trailing and stopping at the spot the bullet had damaged.

"It wasn't your fault," she replied quickly, not allowing him to protest, "If anything, it was my own. I couldn't take care of myself."

Lia knew that he wasn't only talking about the bullet that had just scraped her, but also...

'What's done is done', she'd say. But she was afraid that even if she'd say that, he'd find a comeback; a reason to hate himself even more.

...so she didn't.

She wondered what she should do. The silence was heavy and Ivan had sunk so deep in his thoughts that she didn't think he even remembered she was still there, beside him. His pinky was resting against hers - he hadn't pulled it back. Should she hold his hand? No, that'd just be plain creepy and weird. Why did she even think of that? Instead, with an intake of breath at her brilliant idea, she grabbed a metal thermos from her bag, twisted the lid off and poured green tea into it. A tendril of steam rose from it, and with a determined look, she placed it on top of his hand. Startled, the boy blinked at the sudden warmth radiating from the makeshift cup and up at the sixteen-year-old.

"Drink it," she said gruffly, releasing the cup so it balanced on his hand, and turning away to cross her arms.

Once it again, her actions kind of reminded him of...

"-re..."

"What?"

Realizing he said the words out loud, he opened his mouth and instead said something that she only caught the end of - "-boh..."

"...what?"

Then realizing that he had accidentally swapped to Russian, he repeated, "Thank you."

She eyed him carefully, before huffing and turning to the wall, away from him. Curious, but not enough to ask the girl why she faced away from him, he took small cautious sips of his tea.

"It's green tea... from Japan..." She spat out, sounding reluctant to share the information.

Was she watching him? - Ivan asked himself. He blinked at the black-haired girl, but there were no signs that she was looking at him. So he shrugged to himself, and merely relished in the fact that he was experiencing something that was Japanese (but in the back of his mind, the doubt and everything that was negative nagged at him; threatening).

Inwardly, Lia was glad he was acting a little bit more like himself (but in the back of her mind, she just hoped the green tea was a good enough distraction for Ivan, from his own thoughts).

She really didn't know how to help him.

It was a Wednesday, when she found that the room Ivan and herself usually occupied was full. An assembly?

She opened the door and sneaked inside during the Principal's speech, and when she couldn't spot a pair of purple eyes and yellow-white hair in the large crowd, she settled herself beside a group of people who, for some reason, looked exactly the same with hair that was curled in exactly the right places and rectangular glasses. Most of them were girls, with an exception of a few guys. It gave her shudders. There was something about them that freaked her out.

"-you all know, today we will be choosing the NEXTs to recommend to the Justice Committee in Sternbuild."

Naturally, this caught her attention.

"The teachers have thought very hard about this... especially because of the recent incident."

Of course, everyone knew what the principal hinted at.

"It is..." he spoke with a weary air, "A very difficult time for us."

"But it is that time of the year again, and we have chosen."

Many heads perked up. Lia let her eyes rest on the floor.

"Ivan Karelin."

It was funny, how instead of gasps of recognition, there were just confused murmurs. Who was this 'Ivan Karelin'? - was what they questioned, and jeered. Ignoring the droning of the students, one of the teachers she recognized stood, and gestured for the Hero-to-be to come forward. With narrowed eyes, Lia searched the assembly for the boy - and she found him, yet she could only see his back.

The atmosphere was tense, all eyes on the Russian boy.

He was hesitating.

Shakily, he stood.

The students waited with bated breath until finally he walked - lifting his feet one by one.

Lia wanted to see his face.

The boy, so small next the the tall female teacher, accepted the pieces of paper the adult handed to him. Then she leaned forward with an unreadable expression, and whispered in his ear. A chain reaction was caused - the crowd broke out into conversation once again, but instead of focusing on the mini conversations circulating around her, Lia squinted from behind the dark cloth obscuring her vision, and attempted to gain a better view of her friend's face as the teacher continued to speak to him.

She saw lilac irises.

Blinking, she pulled back slightly and unconsciously tilted her head. Ivan looked confused, shocked and... relieved? He was looking in her direction, but when she glanced behind her, she only caught a glimpse a picture of a person with blond curls and glasses. The person holding the photo looked like a clone of the man, except female, and much younger and pudgier. Friends, Lia assumed, uttered with hushed voiced over the picture, occasionally glancing to the front of the assembly. The sixteen-year-old shot them a weird look, but they didn't notice it (they probably wouldn't have seen it either, because of the blindfold covering half of her face).

"Give a round of applause for Ivan!" The principal suggested brightly, an attitude contrasting with his earlier demeanour. His voice snapped everyone back into reality... but there was no applause.

Lia cursed the people around her. She didn't even want to imagine what Ivan was feeling. She was sure it was nowhere near happiness.

And then, lifting her chin high, she raised her hands and slapped them together; again and again, making a consistent rhythm. Everyone stared at her oddly, but she didn't back down.

Eventually, other people joined in.

"You can do it kid!" Someone called out, and another - "Good luck!"

Ivan's face flared with redness and he shifted his gaze downwards. He was shy...

It was too bad for Lia that the students behind her also found the appeal, and too bad for the students that Lia heard them-

"He's so cute!"

"Ooh, I know! How could we have missed him?!"

"I'd bang that."

When the Asian girl turned around, the three female students (looking to be around 13-14 years old) promptly fainted, alerting everyone in the room.

Lia smirked at this, casually tightening her blindfold around her head.

There was a stunned silence, when - "U-uh, assembly dismissed!" And the students and teachers of Hero Academy filed out of the room, gossiping to one another.

Principal Massini shook his head tiredly, and with his lips a thin straight line, he called, "Lia!"

But she had already made her escape.

"That girl..." the principal sighed, rubbing his temples with his hands. He turned around and looked pointedly at the last remaining student.

"Ivan, would you please go find her?"

**...than the things they did.**

* * *

Sorry for the wait! I actually had more planned out for this chapter, but I really wanted to update for you guys, so don't be afraid to review? I also want to say that Lia will not be the main person helping Ivan get through the thing with Edward. That's what Kotetsu does in episode 8, haha. But she tries, and she fails kind of, but yeah. It's the thought that counts? Lia's an awkward duckling.

My reply to - **Guest**: Hahaha, I hope the anticipation didn't kill you? ;D I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, the opposite really, so please enjoy it.

_**Oh, and an important factor to keep in mind: since Ivan's birthday is unofficial, I made it the birthday of his Japanese voice actor. Only two dates were mentioned in this chapter. Guess which one? Alternatively, you can look up his voice actor, haha.**_

Thank you for reading, everyone! If there are any mistakes, please tell me.


	5. Beginning

**A person often meets their destiny...**

_NAME: KARELIN, IVAN_

"Hey..."

_D.O.B: 24 OCTOBER NC-1958_

"...yes?"

_ETHNICITY: RUSSIAN_

"You never told me..."

_SEX: MALE_

"..."

_OCCUPATION: STUDENT_

"Your birthday... was last Thursday?"

_HEIGHT: 170CM (5'7")_

"..."

_EYE COLOUR: INDIGO_

"..."

_ZODIAC: SCORPIO_

He nodded.

"...you didn't even bother to tell me!" Not waiting for his answer, Lia punched his arm.

Ivan blinked at the weakness of it. She really wasn't that strong, was she? Even so, he shrugged almost unnoticeably - the anime she had given to him was more than enough, and he hadn't even asked for it. Absentmindedly, he wondered when her birthday was, and what he should give to her when the time came.

Huffing at the lack of reaction, the girl shoved the sheet of paper back into the seventeen- not sixteen -year-old's hands. She crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, but after a short while, she turned back curiously and stated, "...you're Russian?"

"Ah... you didn't know?" His last name, after all, was a give-away.

"You expected me to?" She shot back, before rolling her eyes. The motion was useless as Ivan couldn't even see it, but her tone was enough.

Then, there was silence.

The girl fidgeted, becoming increasingly awkward as the quiet dragged out. She stole a glance at Ivan, whose eyes were darker than usual as they stared at the papers he was holding. It must've been tough for him, Lia thought, to be elected as the NEXT to go forward to the Justice Committee right after the Edward shenanigan. A frown crept onto her lips, and she shook her head to clear the subject from her mind.

"Uh, so what's the other one about?"

Blinking for the second time, yet this time in recognition - the male handed Lia the second page, and once she saw it, a weird expression flit across her face.

"Why the hell is my face on this?" She demanded immediately, the horror she felt increasing as she read the information on the sheet.

How'd they even get a photo of her anyway? Though, at least her blindfold was still on.

"The teacher told me..." Ivan began, unsure of what Lia's reaction would be. Taking her silence as a sign to continue, he spoke, "That you were going to become a Hero-in-training."

"'Hero-in-training?'" She echoed with a furrowing of brows. Wasn't that what everyone at the entire Academy was training for?

"You can't control your powers," he stated.

"So?" She retorted with a spontaneous burst of defensiveness.

Ivan's lips tilted downwards and for a split second, Lia wondered what she did to make him upset - but then she noticed his eyebrows were pinched slightly together, as if he were thinking. And he was - or at least, trying to word his next sentence.

"We're... going to be Heroes... together?"

There was no reply.

He peeked timidly at her face.

"There's a 'but'," Lia assumed, moments later.

He nodded.

* * *

"-and that's it!" The principal finished, smiling nervously at the girl. The way her mouth twitched as he told her the gist of the situation explained to the man that she was the opposite of 'overjoyed'.

"So let me get this straight," Lia drawled.

"You already sent this-" the Asian shook the profile in her hand, "-to the Justice gang or whatever-"

"Justice Committee," the adult politely interrupted.

"-and you thought it was a good idea even when I can't even- even control my freaking powers?!" Lia fumed, eyes narrowed.

"Actually I-"

"What in the world is a 'Hero-in-training' anyway?!"

"I-"

"What happens if I hurt someone or _myself _o-or-"

"That's the whole point of 'Hero-in-training', Lia," Principal Massini smoothly replied over the girl's rants.

"Your powers as a Next will be very helpful to them, I'm sure. And you have potential!"

Lia's lips parted but the man went on, "That's why it'd be a good idea to concentrate on making them better, yes?"

"Then how will I do that, _sir_?" She countered with a voice that made the head of the school inwardly shake his head with a weary sigh.

"Do you know," he started, "That never using your powers makes them go, for lack of any other word... rusty?"

The sixteen-year-old's brows went up disbelievingly. Did it now?

"That's why you'll use your power every day from now on!" The suggestion made both Lia and Ivan, standing beside the sixteen-year-old, stiffen. The way he said it...

"On none other than Ivan!"

Quickly, the pair made noises of protest.

"B-but s-sir!"

"I can't do that!"

"Don't you want to have better control over your powers? This will be a chance for Ivan to get better at his offensive skills as well."

Lia faltered, and Ivan fell silent.

"You two should talk about this!" The principal recommended happily, before taking on a thoughtful expression.

"But Lia, why are you so opposed to becoming a Hero? A lot of students here would jump at the chance."

"Then why don't you let them instead of me?" The girl growled, irked. She turned on her heel and exited the office, leaving behind a taken-aback Massini and a confused Ivan.

Ivan exited soon after; going after the girl, the adult concluded.

Thinking back to Lia's question that was more of a comeback than anything else, he sighed. It wasn't just because of Lia's potential as a NEXT that made him submit her profile to the Committee. Or was it? Either way, it just seemed like a good idea. Especially for Ivan, who most likely wanted- no, needed support.

And maybe for herself as well.

The principal twirled once in his chair, before stopping in front of his desk and picking up a pen.

Because, in spite of the girl's vigorous demeanour... wouldn't even she be lonely?

Lia's steps held an uneven rhythm as they trod across the floor. It was only a few minutes later when another rhythm entered her own, filling the spaces her beats couldn't occupy.

Classes were over, or rather, all of the students had been allowed to go home early. There weren't many people left at the academy, just the staff and herself and Ivan. The hallway Lia was walking in was a spectrum of warmth; red, orange and yellow. Light filtered through the windows on Lia's left side and dotted across the floor.

It was only a few minutes later, when she encountered the blond-haired boy once again.

What did he want from her?

She just wanted to be alone.

But the boy knew that, so he kept quiet, giving the girl peace.

Until...

"...why don't you want to become a Hero?"

The silence was broken... but she expected that question.

And because she did, she merely turned her head away from him, and said, "My parents will be proud."

Just a bit hesitant, he tilted his head and asked softly, "...and?"

"They'll be happy for me. And then I'll feel bad."

A moment of quiet took place.

And then- "Why?"

A sigh.

"...because I can't really hate them if they're not the bad people I make them out to be."

Ivan's brows knit together - 'bad people'?

How could Lia hate the people that raised her? Or, why would she _want_ to hate her parents?

He was startled when the girl's head whipped towards him. Something in her covered gaze made the boy fidget, so he avoided it. His eyes trailed over her shoes. They were covered in patterns composed of black and red, but they were also dirty and the soles looked as if they could fall off at any moment. They were small, too. He then glanced at his own brown boots, musing over the fact that his feet seemed to be much more larger compared to hers. Then he blinked, wondering why he was even thinking about feet. Before he could get too deep into the subject, Lia let out a 'tch' sound and continued to walk. Ivan hadn't even noticed they'd stopped.

He returned to her side.

The two went past a man who had cleaning gear attached to his hip, and a mop that looked brand new.

Lia walked on without a second thought, and even though she had seen him just a few seconds ago, he was already faceless in her mind. Forgotten.

Because there were more important things to think about.

"Why... do you..." Ivan wasn't sure if he could ask what he had in mind.

"...hate my parents?" Lia provided understandingly, finishing the question for him.

Carefully, the boy bobbed his head in confirmation.

"Because..."

He waited for her answer. Their footsteps which earlier boomed in the hallway, was now crunching happily upon grass and dirt.

"Because," she repeated slowly, figuring out how to say her next words.

Why did he have to ask such a hard question?

"I-I don't... really... hate them." The last words were whispered out and Ivan barely heard them.

"They just didn't notice," she told him after recovering from her last sentence. It was the simple, blunt tone she always used.

But he caught on to the crack in her voice near the end.

They stepped out of the school grounds.

Breathing in deeply, she raised her head and curtly said, "See you tomorrow Ivan."

"A-ah..." Even before he had murmured that out, she was walking away. Her footsteps slowly faded into background noise, but he could still see her silhouette that suddenly looked lonely.

Watching Lia's figure gradually grow smaller, Ivan was reminded that the people around him had lives too. That they had problems, and a whole lot of things that he probably wasn't aware of. They had feelings. For example, the janitor Lia and himself passed by. His brown eyes looked haggard, and his movements were slow and groggy as he had mopped the floor. His hair was grey, and his skin was a tan colour similar to Lia's own, most likely from being in the sun everyday. Maybe he was working solely for his three children at home because of his wife who left him for another man, or maybe the day just wasn't his because he had to clean up something nasty. Maybe he did have a wife and maybe he met her on the Internet and they eventually fell so deep in love that they flew overseas to meet each other - really, who would know?

Everyone had stories; be it heart-warming, shocking, fascinating, bitter, morbid, forlorn...

...sad.

That was how Lia looked, with her lips turned downwards. If Ivan hadn't seen her lips, he could bet he would known anyway - she just... kind of radiated that certain feeling - he wasn't _that_ ignorant.

He could remember faces and mannerisms quite easily, in fact, but it wasn't that useful of a skill, was it?

And sometimes, you know when a person isn't happy. You just know.

As Lia disappeared from Ivan's sight, a frown twisted his features. He turned, and put his hands in the pockets of the Academy's uniform's jacket.

Then, he took a step forward, and then another, and another, and another.

And as he walked, he couldn't deny...

...that a part of him felt as if it were his duty to make her feel the opposite.

The following day, when the bell rang to signal the start of classes, Ivan was surprised to see Principal Massini rushing towards him with Lia following close behind, looking disgruntled.

"Good news!" The adult beamed.

Lia's face made it seem like it wasn't.

"You two got accepted as Heroes! Well for Lia's case, Hero-in-training, but never mind that! I'm so pro-" But how could _he _be a hero?

"-already got the train ticket bought for you two tonight and-" So soon?

"-for your apartment we've already-" _What would Edward think?_

Something bonked his head. It didn't hurt much, but it was enough for the boy to quickly jump backwards and raise his hands in front of him to protect his vitals. Lia had to admit to herself that it was pretty impressive he could do that without falling - until in fact he slipped on air suddenly, and landed on his back. A smirk appeared on Lia's face as the boy shakily lifted himself back up.

She opened her mouth, and announced, "I don't regret that."

And as if on second thought, she added, "So stop looking so idiotic, idiot."

For someone calling him an 'idiotic idiot', for once he didn't feel offended.

Because it was like she was trying to comfort him.

"And besides, shouldn't ninja have better reactions than that?" Well, actually, that was wrong, he was currently practicing a style that was going to be a mix of samurai _and _ninja and possibly sumo. He had to call her out on that (it was an Ivan's/otaku's/weaboo's pride after all).

So he opened her mouth and told her about what he had in mind, oblivious to the slightly adoring blush sprinkled on top of his face.

"Idiot," she scoffed when he finished, surely rolling her eyes beneath her blindfold.

The two had basically forgotten Principal Massini was there, until the adult cleared his throat amusedly.

"As I stated earlier," he coughed into his hand, "I've bought train tickets for you two to travel to Sternbild."

Lia crinkled her nose.

"Aren't we already in Sternbild?"

"Yes, but you two have to meet your sponsors at the Hero's headquarters, Justice Tower. That's quite a bit away from here," he reasoned.

"Oh, and we've already solved the problem with your apartment, right Lia?"

With a thoughtful frown, she nodded.

"...who's our sponsors?" Ivan inquired.

"For you, Ivan, I'm not sure about your sponsors, so to say, but your sponsor company is Helperides Finance." With furrowed brows, Ivan took this in.

"And for you, Lia, well-" Lia found something off with the way the man worded this, so she opened her mouth and asked, "Wait a moment, so I'm not with Ivan?"

"Well, you are, it depends-"

"Then what?"

"...well, as I was about to say... for you, it's more difficult."

"'More difficult?'"

"The details are trivial," the principal decided, waving a hand dismissively at the girl.

"I want to know the details, trivial or not!" The girl stated angrily.

Her statement went gracefully ignored as Massini turned towards Ivan. She missed their brief, quiet conversation. Then, the adult shifted so that he was facing both herself and Ivan.

"It's settled then! You are both to go to the Justice Tower tonight!"

**...on the road they took to avoid it.**

* * *

OMG GUYS SO TELL ME IF YOU FOUND A HINT TO SOMETHING IN THIS CHAPTER. -shot-

I really appreciate you guys reading this story, and I wanna give a shoutout to **grey-zebra** who is my awesome onee-chan + senpai, LOL. She also has a Tiger and Bunny fic, so check it out!

Uhm, there's not much to say but I hope you guys are pleased with this chapter? I really, really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint anyone.


	6. Road

**Most smiles...**

The night air.

Was there a word to describe it?

It was chilly, that was for sure - but it was Autumn, so it was to be expected.

Lia sighed.

And then, sending a prompt 'goodbye' to her apartment, she lugged her backpack over her shoulder. It didn't have much, just the Academy uniform, necessities and clothes.

Just everything of any importance.

The door locked with a click, and the keys in her hand jingled. She stood there for a moment, frowning. Three minutes went by. Sighing, she leant down. Her hair brushed annoyingly against her face as she set down the keys in front of the apartment. She didn't own it any more. If the keys went missing it'd probably be her fault, but chances were they wouldn't get stolen (or maybe even noticed).

She straightened, and sent one last cautious look to the keys. And then, she turned, and walked away.

The night air.

Somehow, it was nostalgic. Or was that even the feeling it gave off? Honestly, if she was bothered enough and didn't have her blindfold on, she could've just stared at it - the sky, that is. The stars made it worthwhile, even though she couldn't see most of them due to the cloth hugging her face. It gave a certain kind of feeling - not one that made her feel accomplished or warm, or anything cheesy like that. It wasn't particularly mesmerising or dazzling either. To put it simply, she could stare at it... and not get bored.

She began to walk.

Her destination was actually pretty close, and when her eyes caught a glimpse of a pale-yellow brightness, she knew she was going the right way.

The street lamps illuminated soft warm glows and Lia mused that the street she lived on was actually quite pretty, in a sense. Serene, and humble.

She wondered what her new apartment would look like.

But wait, didn't Principal Massini already give her details about it? Something about a traditional house... whatever it was, she didn't really listen.

In any case, what did he mean by traditional? How could an apartment be traditional?

A gruff noise broke her from her thoughts but when she looked up, she could just catch a trail of light disappearing back into darkness.

A car?

She looked on suspiciously as the engine sound slowly faded from hearing range.

Well, oh well.

Cold light flooded over her figure - the lights inside the station, which was only an open area; nothing special.

When Ivan entered her vision, she blinked for a moment. Was it weird for her to expect him to be in the normal Academy uniform? Maybe a bit, but... it was her first time seeing him out of uniform.

So she focused on his outfit.

His feet were enclosed, as per usual, in the same brown boots, except this time - his left shoe's laces were in a crumpled mess on the cement floor.

His pants were baggy and green.

It was his jacket, or what she could see of it, that made her stifle a laugh.

'Japan', it read.

Curious, the boy turned around slightly, finally noticing her.

"Hello," he greeted.

The tips of her lips quirked upwards in a half-smirk and turning her head to the side, she stated offhandedly, "Your shoelaces are undone."

With a surprised noise, he bent down to examine his boots, and noticing that she wasn't just being mean, he fumbled with them for a bit before tying them slowly. She averted her eyes from his form to the bag near his feet.

There was something shiny beside it - one, no, two triangular-shaped things sitting innocently on the ground.

She squinted her eyes to get a better look.

White and triangular - was that...

"Onigiri...?"

* * *

The train rumbled like a dragon.

She kicked her legs back and forth for the millionth time.

Trains were interesting.

It was her first time being on one. Her parents drove her everywhere, after all.

The people on it were interesting as well... kind of.

The first few minutes, she scanned the train for any suspicious looking people, but since it was night time, not many people were on it. Only a dirty-blonde haired girl, a sleeping man, and two teenagers holding hands.

It was a slight advantage, having the blindfold on, even if the people sent her a weird look at first. If she looked at someone, they wouldn't really know. It was just a matter of being inconspicuous. Ivan looked unfazed - or maybe that was just because he was sleeping.

She didn't know how he could sleep sitting straight upwards without leaning towards one side or another... but he deserved the sleep. Now that she took a good look at him, he looked tired. There were bags underneath his eyes and Lia wondered if he slept well at night. If he was tired, he shouldn't have spent the time making both of them rice balls.

Still, it was a nice notion.

Making food for them, that is. Even though it looked as if it'd fall apart.

'The responsibility you get when a person gives you something; you feel as if you need to give them something back in return' - Lia didn't know what that that feeling was called - _to reciprocate?_ - but...

That was what she assumed Ivan felt, to actually take time to make rice balls.

Because... she gave him the green tea? Whatever. She was a little hungry, so she'd eat it.

She pulled out the plastic-wrapped food from inside the pocket of her grey hoodie.

Her fingers grazed over the clear surface, and finding the edge of the plastic, she slowly peeled it apart. Almost immediately, bits of rice came tumbling into her lap and hurriedly, she wrapped it again, no longer the surprisingly neat package it was before. She sighed and picked the small white grains up and flicked them away.

How in the world did he even... when the rice wasn't even sticking together properly-? She sighed, again.

Carefully, she slid the plastic wrap down so that a bit of the onigiri was touching air. She held it still, but when the train jolted softly, the top fell into her hand, and she blinked. It was mostly rice, but there was something pink coloured in it. She sniffed it, and cringed away from it. Fish. She didn't like seafood that much.

After a moment of hesitation, she chucked it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. It didn't taste that bad, to be honest.

She sneaked a peek at Ivan. He was still asleep. Good.

Somehow, she mused, if he'd known she was eating at right this moment, he'd probably be dying inside of anxiousness, then proceed to ask her if she liked it, and get a mediocre response that'd most likely bring down his mood. He already had enough to think about, so he didn't really need to worry about his cooking skills.

She gathered another clump of rice and fish, tuna, into her hand and ate it.

It was only after the third bite when she heard a strange sounding rumble come from across her, when Lia looked up and blinked confusedly.

It was the blonde girl. But really - she looked so young, maybe only 13?

Lia's eyes travelled from the loose black pants to the orange snuggly-looking sweater, and to the teen's face. Her eyes were probably the most distinct feature (that Lia could remember) - large, bright, green- and a shape similar to Lia's own. They looked tired, as if she hadn't had a proper night's sleep. It was obvious though, that this stranger was of Asian descent.

Shifting, the girl fidgeted and her green orbs, which were probably a shade darker to Lia because of her blindfold, flickered from the object in Lia's hands and back to her own lap.

Lia too, glanced at the rice ball and to the girl, and finally, she stated - with a tint of reluctance, "Catch."

Doing a fast, secure wrap, Lia raised her hand and threw it towards the girl.

It arched in the air and as soon as it came into the blonde's reach, her hand shot out and grabbed it.

Her reflexes were good, Lia noted - for a girl who looked pretty young.

"For me?" The orange-wearing teen asked in a bewildered tone.

Lia nodded.

There was a small silence.

The person in front of Lia blinked once, then twice. And then, her lips split into a toothy grin and from her mouth was a small, cheeky sounding 'heehee'.

"Thanks a lot!" She exclaimed in a voice that reminded Lia of 'trap' singers from Japan.

Lia leaned back into her seat and bobbed her head in a simple acknowledgement.

The grin on the blonde's face grew wider, before she opened the wrap around the onigiri with haste, before taking a huge bite out of it.

A few moments after, the train slid to a stop.

There was a clank, and a screech.

Then, somehow; Ivan tumbled from his seat and face-planted the floor.

Cleaning up the last pieces of food, the blonde-haired Asian blinked for the third time at the twitching male on the ground.

Unimpressed, Lia merely looked on.

Soon-

Laughter.

With a deadpan face, Lia switched her gaze from Ivan to the giggling - no... 'giggling' wasn't the right word for the girl's laugh - stranger and back to Ivan, who was now pushing himself up.

The eighteen-year-old raised a hand and gingerly touched his face. The sleepiness had gone, but now a dull ache replaced it. The floor hurt.

"Let's go," Lia sighed, standing up with her bag once again on her back.

After getting over the embarrassment of falling miserably in front of the stranger, Ivan nodded, stood up and gathered his bag in his hands.

Two steps were taken, before suddenly the boyish yet girlish voice called out, "Thank you!"

Ivan tilted his head when Lia paused and sent a sideways glance to the grinning girl, before shaking her head and stepping over the crevice between the train and the station. Before he followed her actions, he took one last look at the young teen.

Why did he feel as if he'd meet her again?

And then, inwardly, he shrugged. It was probably nothing.

His shoes met cement ground, and after a few short moments, the train ran off.

They left the station, which compared to the city...

She wasn't sure if Ivan had ever been in this particular area before, but the vibrant buildings and the people still walking around... all the lights reminded her of stars on land, kind of.

There was one thing for sure; it was bright.

Lia spotted what might've been the Justice Tower in the distance, but before she went forward, she asked, "Do you know what the time is?"

Because it was pretty late when they left and the train ride took a long time; so did their - or maybe just Ivan's - sponsors (she didn't even know what sponsor company she had for goodness' sake?) even bother to wait that long for them?

Ivan shook his head in response.

"Then, do you know how to get to that place we're supposed to be at?"

Ivan paused. And then he nodded.

Still, it was _Ivan._

She wasn't exactly sure what place he was referring to.

"Where are we going?" She probed as he began to walk.

"The apartment," he murmured, scratching his cheek almost sheepishly.

"Your apartment?"

"...our... apartment?"

Lia's eyes narrowed.

"Our?"

Why hadn't she heard anything about... 'our'?

Ivan didn't reply. If anything, he sped up his pace.

"Wait- was that what the car was?"

He turned around slightly and tilted his head.

"In that car... was that Principal Massini?"

He nodded, albeit hesitantly.

But why would he be hesitant?

"What did he say?"

"A-ah..."

Immediately, and instead of speaking, he reached into his bag and produced a piece of paper. A map.

"Here."

Lia took it without hesitation.

And with one simple glance, she handed it back to him and strode forward.

"L-Lia?"

She paused at her name.

"Yes?"

"Do... you know where you're going?" Just to make sure, he reasoned to himself.

"What, you think I don't?" Her reply was quick, accusing.

"..."

"..."

A sigh.

If she felt sheepish, it didn't show on her face.

Rather, he could hear it when she said - "T-then... lead the way then... idiot."

He wasn't sure if the redness on her face was because it was cold, or because of the warm light above them. Or something else.

Lia only hoped he knew the way to their apartment as much as he seemed to.

**...are started by another smile.**

* * *

I AM SINCERELY SORRY.

I JUST. I HAD TROUBLE WITH THIS CHAPTER AND YOU KNOW WHAT I DECIDED TO DO?

GO ON TUMBLR AND JUST REBLOG SHIZ FOR HOW MANY MONTHS AND YEARS AND DECADES.

I'm so sorry.

If I lost readers because of this, then that is my fate and I shall accept it like a true samurai. /sigh. I'll get out the next chapter hopefully earlier than this darn chappie.

I'm sorry if this disappoints.

Oh and guess who blondie is -shot-.

Ah, and the hint I mentioned last chapter...

It was the fact that Ivan, in a way, was 'smarter' than Lia. The fact that he notices things she doesn't usually notice (nor do many other people) is awesome in itself. Shows how Ivan isn't much of a wimp or an idiot, y'know? And how he's worthy to become a Hero and all. And GYAHAHA I HAVE MANY PLOT BUNNIES. Which I have to figure out how to write into this story but maybe I'll write a oneshot or something one day.

Thanks for reading.

To **sophiashyaway** - next chapter shall be longer than this. Even if by one letter, it'll be longer! That's a promise! -sends love-


	7. Bond

Hey guys look a shower scene.

* * *

**The best way out…**

Maybe it was a bad idea. Leading the way, that is.

The longer the night dragged on, the more Lia's irritation increased. Between them was a collapsed, tired silence, and twenty minutes in, Ivan risked a glance. She hadn't slept on the train, had she? Her shoulders were slumped and her steps sounded as heavy as they looked. His eyes trailed over her nose, and then to the light frown that twisted her lips, before he turned away. How did the rice ball taste? Was it bad? He did his best. Or maybe he should've put soy-sauce on it? His teeth scraped over his bottom lip but he continued his steps in a light, repetitive rhythm. Was it… out of character? To have made them? What if she thought it was weird of him? Maybe… he shouldn't have made them. Were they so bad she couldn't even talk about them?

Ivan's fingers gripped the straps of his bag tighter - anxiously.

He was overreacting wasn't he? He had a tendency to overthink. The blond stared blankly ahead and reminded himself to stay on the task at hand. Overthinking would just result in unnecessary feelings.

Ivan inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly and raising his head so that he could clearly welcome the night sky in his view.

A few dark clouds gently drifted across the black veil of night. Clouds were nice. But they looked lonely.

And loneliness was never a good thing, after all.

The moon was hidden and the stars weren't many, but on the horizon and to his sides were clusters of lights spangled across buildings.

Bustling people were mingling about, with skyscrapers that accommodated restaurants, cafes, shopping centres and the like. Was there always supposed to be a lot of people awake in the city at night or was there something on? It must've been at least 10:00PM at night, but what was the exact time? Principal Massini had said to him that it'd take only a few hours or so to get to the apartment, including the time they were on the train.

He wasn't sure if Lia had a device that could tell it, but if he asked, would she get angry?

"…hey, idiot."

Ah- there it was. That 'nickname'.

"Yes?"

"…are we nearly there yet?" It was a quiet question, in a soft voice that sounded odd coming from Lia.

There was a short falter in his steps, and curiously, he turned his head towards her.

Grey, wrinkled jacket, hands stuffed into pockets, jeans that piled up at the end near tired-looking sneakers…

…she looked like a kid. A small smile crossed his lips and lit up his eyes.

But then Lia looked up and he could imagine her eyes narrowing because of his lack of response.

He produced the map from his bag. He had a feeling he was going the right way but if he wasn't… the teenager swallowed the sudden lump that rose in is throat. He didn't want to think about how tired-Lia would react if he was leading them away from the apartment than to the apartment.

Unravelling the map in his hands, he attempted to pinpoint their location.

The soft footsteps sounding behind him stopped.

Minutes dragged on.

If anything showed on his face, he didn't know – but it seemed as if Lia understood.

"This…" A heavy sigh, "Is why we can't have nice things."

* * *

The apartment wasn't that much of an apartment; that was for sure.

It was in the shape of a house. Not a large house, but a medium one, nonetheless. Is that what the principal meant by 'apartment'? There were similar houses beside it, most likely the other 'apartments'. Wasn't there another word for these types of buildings? 'Lots'?

And yet, what struck Ivan the most was the car that was parked directly in front of it. From what he knew, Lia didn't drive. He didn't either, and he was sure, that if there were separate rooms inside of the 'apartment' with other people living in it, Principal Massini would've told him.

His eyes flicked back to Lia's face. Suddenly, it didn't seem so haggard. A small grimace pulled at her mouth and behind a few strands of hair, her eyebrows were pinched together.

Then, people emerged from the car.

"I'm too tired for this…"

After that statement, Lia went so quiet, the teen beside her didn't know if she was still breathing.

He set his gaze on the elderly couple walking towards them.

There was a man, whose hair was as straight and as dark as Lia's, but at least three or four inches taller than Ivan. The woman that accompanied him was short. Shorter than Lia, but with almond shaped eyes that reminded Ivan of the first time they met.

"Lia."

The sound made his eyes flicker towards the aforementioned Asian, but quickly, he refocused on the person speaking.

"Yes?" Was the instant reply. Clipped and with a disrespectful undertone. It wasn't one you'd expect for what seemed to be a reunion for the three people. It was clear though, to see that the reply wasn't what the pudgy woman expected. Her eyes narrowed and a frown curled upon her lips.

It was a face much like the one Lia was putting on.

"The principal told us that you're a Hero now," she said finally, after a short exchange of looks. Just like that, the woman tried again and smiled. Her mouth curved upwards and Ivan noticed the dimples placed on the side of her cheeks. The smile seemed kind enough, and warm, but the words felt awkward and slightly forced.

And it seemed as if she were afraid.

"Isn't that great? We-"

"Whatever."

Lia shifted on her feet and pursed her lips. She… didn't want to deal with them, right now.

Immediately, the smile was wiped off the woman's face. Something twinged in her expression and Ivan's eyes softened. If he were a parent… that would hurt.

Lia was acting a bit unfair, wasn't she?

But… he had learned that everyone had reasons to act the way they were. He wouldn't interfere because it wasn't his right to.

These were her parents; it was obvious even to someone like himself.

The mother's eyes – brown – flicked to the blond and then back to her daughter, as if it were both a warning and a question at the same time saying, 'Do you really want to act that way in front of your friend?'

As if the message were easily relayed, a sneer welcomed itself onto Lia's face and she remarked in a sharp voice, "Ivan, let's go."

Eyes widening, Ivan stumbled a bit as Lia pulled him roughly by his arm – but before they could get any closer to their 'apartment', Lia's father put his hand out in front of them and in his hand was a plastic bag.

It was bulging with what seemed like fruit… vegetables… and meat? Maybe there was more, but the rest wasn't visible. It was groceries.

Lia stopped and Ivan nearly collided with her back.

The Asian eyed the bag for a few moments and in those moments Ivan wondered if she were arguing with her pride - before slowly taking it from her dad's hand.

"Thanks," she finally muttered.

The hand she had taken the groceries from raised and sifted over the top of her head and if Ivan had seen her face without the blindfold, he would've known that her eyes relaxed, and how something akin to acquiescence entered them.

The hand gripping his arm loosened and Lia retracted her arm to let it fall at her side.

And she walked away, leaving him with the two parents. A frosty atmosphere that wasn't due to the temperature seemed to rest in the air.

Hesitantly, Ivan spared the adults a glance, and awkwardly shuffled past them to step catch up to his friend.

The apartment neared, and when they reached the door, Lia outstretched her hand. Quietly, she stated, "Keys."

"A-ah…" The eighteen-year-old fumbled through the pockets of his green pants and, inwardly relieved that they hadn't fallen out of his pocket, handed the silver piece of metal to her.

When his hands touched hers, his fingers swept across a surprisingly cold surface and he pulled it back quickly to shove it into the warmth of his pockets. Lia scoffed lightly, though didn't seem particularly offended or shocked as to why.

It was a wonder if her fingers weren't numb with how freezing they felt.

The door opened silently and smoothly.

Ivan waited for Lia to go in first, and when she did, he turned his head around to see if the girl's parents were still there.

They were.

And they were arguing, it seemed.

They were an odd pair, sure, but Ivan wouldn't have guessed they were fighting, seeing as the father had a calm, maybe even soothing disposition…

And now...

Lia yanked him backwards and into the building (with him tumbling lightly into a couch near the hallway that led to the door). The door slammed shut and Lia settled beside his lightly dishevelled form with a minute huff.

Their ears got used to the silence in the house and there was nothing but the blurry noises of Lia's parents, outside.

When Ivan turned to look at Lia, she had a downcast expression. A few beats later she returned his gaze and sighed.

"…see? This is what I've had to deal with all my life."

But then again, it wasn't as if many people had any different. That thought ran through both of their minds at the same time.

She ran a hand through her hair, messing up the already slightly messy hair and making strands spread out across her forehead.

"But-"

He caught himself from saying anything that would potentially harm Lia or himself any further.

"If you want to say something, say it," she grunted, folding her arms and sending him a pointed look.

He hesitated.

"…is that all… you want to say to them?"

Her head rose to face in his direction, and he felt his shoulders tense a bit because of the feeling he got that her cloth-covered gaze.

The right corner of her lip tipped upwards – and the slight dimple on her cheek became known (funny how he never noticed it before) – and she said, looking through the window behind her that he just noticed was there, "There's… not much I really want to say, y'know?"

After a few moments of silence, she smiled.

Ivan couldn't help but to fidget for what seemed to be the umpteenth time of that day. Why was she smiling? Why would someone smile at a time like this? Wasn't she sad? Yeah, of course she was… and if that were the case, what could he do? What should he do? No… what would Edward do? Surely, Edward had more experience with the ladies than him, and comforting people in general. Edward was better than him–

"Stop looking so sad, you idiot."

Ivan flinched at the jab to his side, and when he lifted his head, a thought occurred to him that Lia probably wasn't a person who should be talking about 'looking sad' and whatnot.

"Although, we're…"

There was an abrupt change in her voice that made him peer at her timidly.

The inside of the house was dark; nothing was visible except the objects that were in reach. The light from the window, however, flooded across Lia's face and when she looked at him in return, his eyes widened a fraction.

"We're… we're both idiots though. Right?"

She looked vulnerable.

Did she know that she was letting him see such a fragile side of her?

Did she?

He felt touched. He may have been overreacting, but-

For once… just for once, he felt as if maybe he could help someone. That he wasn't always so… helpless.

That maybe he could be equal.

Except equal wasn't the perfect word for it, because it sounded as if he was dragging Lia to his level.

No, it was that maybe he could be of _worth._

His mind was jumbled and he'd need some meditation time to sort them out but he smiled a smile that mimicked Lia's own smile.

"Y-yeah…"

What could he do, but agree?

He wouldn't have categorized Lia as an idiot, so to say, but if she said it herself then…

Yeah. Maybe, they were both idiots.

"Yeah," he repeated softly, this time stronger and straining to include the reassurance he wanted to give the black-haired girl.

They could be idiots together, if she allowed it.

* * *

Ivan's eyes, as Lia had noted the first few times they met, were very pretty.

But now was not the time to think thoughts like that.

She broke the eye-contact (that lasted for more minutes that it should've) awkwardly and raised a hand to cover the portion of her face that wasn't covered by the blindfold. It'd be dangerous if he saw embarrassed blush that was bound to be there because of how awkward she felt at that moment.

She cleared her throat lightly and turned away a fraction to shuffle through her bag.

The screen of her music player reflected the time that it was currently.

It was 1:36AM.

She stared at it.

How long… were her parents waiting in that car together? It must've been cold. And awkward.

The numbers swapped to 1:37AM.

She shook her head.

No, it didn't matter. It wasn't her fault anyway – why should she care?

She sighed and shifted back to face Ivan, only to find him huddling in the opposite direction.

She raised a brow at the sight of his back towards her before making her mind up and merely lifting herself off the couch. It was pretty damn comfortable, but she bet one of the doors in the house-apartment would lead her to a bedroom that was much better.

"I'm going to go to sleep then."

The boy's head shot upwards and he asked, "A-already?"

"It's one thirty-eight."

His lips parted to form an 'o' and she gathered her bag in her arms.

She walked slowly towards the second hallway that stretched to a handful of doors before stopping.

Ivan tilted his head at the pause.

Then, she returned in a few short strides in front of him and lifted his hand into her own.

Or rather, pinched his thumb between her own thumb and her forefinger, and she mused, "They say that those with cold hands have warm hearts."

His eyes travelled down to where they're limbs touched and he realized that her hands were still the same coldness they were before and his were still radiating the same odd warmth.

She grinned suddenly, at the expression Ivan was making and retracted her hand.

"Well, goodnight."

"…goodnight…?"

With that, she peeked into one of the rooms, and when finding it did indeed have a bed to sleep in, entered.

The door quietly closed and Ivan blinked at his hand.

He wasn't that bothered by that 'saying', but…

Lia was teasing him just then, wasn't she?

His lips tugged upwards into a small smile.

Good.

That was good.

Maybe he did end up comforting her in the end, or at least, offering her his presence.

Hopefully.

He sighed and got up to enter the room across from Lia's.

When his indigo orbs met the sight, he blinked for the third time.

This was…

Though it was dark, his eyes automatically adjusted.

His day just got ten times better.

And the urge to tell Lia the good news overrode any other warnings that tired-Lia might not be as ecstatic as him.

He rushed back out with his hand outstretched to twist open the metal doorknob to Lia's room but he halted just as quickly in front of it. Slowly, he knocked.

There was no answer.

He assumed it was safe to open the door, and when he did, he immediately announced, "T-there's a-"

But his words stopped short.

She was sleeping, not that it was surprising, but her face-

He could see it clearly.

Her eyelashes weren't long, and her skin wasn't flawless. Her eyebrows, her nose…

All of her screamed 'Lia'.

It felt… weirdly… nice, for some reason.

He didn't know how long he spent with the door pushed open lightly to allow a sliver of light loitering around the room, but when he was done just looking at her face he shut the door softly, retreated into the bedroom next to the Asian's, slipped into his bed after taking off his shoes and his jacket, and just looked up at the ceiling.

She was very…

Ivan shook his head lightly and let his forearm rest against his forehead.

Even if it were in his mind, he didn't know if he could handle it if he thought it to himself on purpose - clearly.

Then he stopped and wondered briefly.

…was he a weirdo?

He did just spent quite a lot of time staring at someone sleeping.

…

He frowned.

Maybe he should just stop thinking and go to sleep.

* * *

There was… something she was forgetting.

But…

When her eyelids parted, her immediate reaction was to roll over and bring the new-smelling cotton blanket up to her forehead.

What was she forgetting though?

That nagging feeling at the back of her mind was annoying to say the least, and she pulled the blanket back down to let the rays of sunlight greet her face. Out of moonlight and sunlight, she liked moonlight better – but at least the sun wasn't directly in her eyes.

Luckily the tree outside blocked some of it.

She turned her head to face the rest of her room.

A night stand beside her bed that touched the wall, a dresser, a computer desk lacking a computer, carpet…

A typical bedroom.

It was satisfactory, for lack of any other word at that moment.

Lia pushed herself up, her hand swiping across the white, crumpled sheets.

Her hair felt heavy yet light on her hair and she pressed it, cringing noticeably at how wiry and simply bad it felt.

She glanced at her outfit. Ah, so she forgot to change. But that wasn't it – there was still something…

The tree outside her window swayed, making the dapples of golden light morph into a different pattern.

A tree…

Green…

Vegetables…

Groceries.

Huh, the groceries.

Her dad…

Lia rested a hand against her head and frowned softly.

She also forgot to put the bag into the… was there even a fridge? There had to be. She really needed to check out the apartment.

But crap. She hoped the groceries were still fresh otherwise it'd be a waste of money.

Unzipping the grey hoodie from last night, the Asian allowed it to pile up around her as she stretched, letting out a short sigh of contentment. Her bare arms fell back to her side and she shivered.

It was fairly chilly inside her room.

She reached over and pulled her music player from her bag.

It was the 1st of November – a Friday. NC 1976, 10:16AM.

It was a little too early for her liking, but she was awake enough.

Well.

Time to have a shower.

When she exited her bedroom, she entered the room beside hers, assuming to be the bathroom. It wasn't surprising that she was wrong but when she saw the sleeping Ivan she paused.

A passing thought in her mind was that Ivan was really pretty. How could a guy be so pretty? It wasn't possible.

And yet…

Squinting, she pursed her lips. He'd probably attract a ton of ladies/and even men if he stopped slouching, stopped overthinking, stopped looking so sad, stopped being…

Ivan.

That'd change pretty much all of him though, and she wouldn't really want that, so…

Meh. He was enough.

She leaned against the doorway and a gentle smirk played on her lips.

He was very…

…wait a moment.

What was she doing?

She slapped her hand on her face, hurriedly shooing away the half-smile.

The sixteen-year-old backed away from the door and knocked it shut with her foot.

No.

That was creepy.

She would not be entering his room when he was sleeping again.

It was risky.

She sent a weird look to the wooden door.

Nope.

She definitely would not be doing that again.

She swivelled on her feet and walked towards the door opposite from her room.

It wasn't the bathroom though, that was for sure.

Ivan would like that room though. What was it – a meditation room? She didn't know how to describe it, but she felt that Principal Massini had something to do with it. It's not every house you see that has a room with random bamboo floors and such; unless of course you live in Japan or any place else that accommodates such material.

The next door was the right door.

* * *

Cue Lia pondering what to do for breakfast while water from the shower head beats down on her.*

* * *

_Bzzzt._

There was that noise again.

_Beep._

Ah… it stopped.

_Wait._

Should he be worried?

In a flash, he was sitting up. The sunlight from the window near his bed came with full blast when he opened his eyes, and his immediate reaction was to push himself back down. His back met the mattress with a light 'flop' and resting on his side, he curled his legs into his chest.

It was cold.

Where did that noise even come from though? Not from his room… maybe from the lounge?

And was that… running water he heard?

He sat up again, with his hair falling into his eyes.

Blearily, the blond rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. The shiver of Autumn met his arms and he retreated them underneath the covers.

_Bzzzt._

Indigo eyes widened.

That noise…

_Bzzzt._

The sound of water flowing through pipes stopped, but he didn't realize when. Instead, Ivan jumped out of bed, sprinted towards the door and into the hallway.

_Bzzzt._

There!

He made a dive for the two bracelet-like devices on the coffee table.

Of course, he had the best timing and fell right as his hands grasped the rotary gadgets.

"What are you-"

He rolled over, rubbing the area he landed on.

Lia, clothed in the same grey hoodie from yesterday, plain black tights and a towel caped over her head, gave him a deadpan look.

He blinked. She merely grinded the towel across her hair in an attempt to dry it.

"Y-your eyes-"

"Oh yeah."

She blinked once from underneath the white towel shielding her wet hair, before putting a hand before them.

She glanced at him again, brown meeting purple, before she grinned lightly.

The grin came to an abrupt stop though, a low murmur of 'oh snap' before she covered her eyes and disappeared into her room.

Ivan blinked again.

"Was her power disabled?"

Startled, the boy released the items he was holding and took four crawl-steps away from them.

A hologram…

"P-principal Massini?"

"Good morning Ivan."

The blond opened his mouth to reply but Lia interrupted him.

"What the hell? Is that…"

"Good morning to you too, Miss Phan. That was quick. Are you sure your blindfold is on properly?"

Instantly, Lia scowled.

"Don't call me that Massini. And of course it is."

"Yes yes," the adult sighed, waving off the open contempt drifting from the girl. The man's face immediately sobered when he declared, "I have news for you two."

"Spit it out," Lia mumbled, crouching down beside Ivan.

"Lia, you're going to school."

Silence. Lia's eyes widened, and then did the opposite.

"No way."

"…yes, you are. I've already enrolled you into-"

"I don't want to! Is Ivan? If Ivan isn't then why should I-"

"Ivan has a choice. He has almost graduated, because he started early, and is always able to leave school. Of course, that space is always open for him if he decides to quit being a Hero… but that is highly unlikely."

Ivan looked away with a small frown when the elder gave him an expectation-filled look.

"You, Lia, are required to continue because you started school late, did you not?" Without receiving a confirmation (although it wasn't really needed), he continued. "The Hero Academy was teaching you the basics of the level you are up to now, but that is a different matter because it is mainly focused on making your powers more qualified for being a Hero. 16 years old and in year 10."

"Aren't I allowed to leave school at that year? I am. That's what-"

"Your parents have-"

"I'm my own person now! Why do my parents have to come into this?"

"They are your guardians."

"Pfft, only one of them-"

"Your mother has requested you continue education until you've gotten your High School Certificate. It's for your future."

"Why can't I just be a Hero? Is that not good enough?"

"As I said, your mother-"

"Why can't I just be a Hero?" Lia inquired again, this time with a firmer voice.

Principal Massini sighed.

"Being a Hero… no- with your unstable powers, it is better for you to have a back-up, so to say-"

"So you're saying I'm not good enough? Is that it-?"

"Lia." That wasn't Principal Massini's voice.

The Asian flinched at the hand that rested on her head.

Ivan lowered his head slightly, to meet her covered eyes.

"This is a good idea."

There were several beats of silence. Both Lia and the principal could only stare wide-eyed at the boy.

That was out of character.

Lia eyed him cautiously before shifting underneath his hand. The warmth and that one feeling that coursed through her body disturbed her. What was it? There was a name to it... but it felt _nice;_ the hand on top of her head.

_Something is definitely wrong with me, _Lia thought, thoroughly alarmed.

How interesting, Principal Massini mused as he observed the little interaction. It was a good idea, having the two together. Sure, Lia's parents put up a fight about having a boy and girl live together, but it was better for the school's funds (who paid in advance for the living area), and for the two students. Especially if they had to spar. In the end Lia's mother agreed and Lia's father remained thoughtfully quiet.

It was surprisingly nice to see the two teenagers communicate. The adult hid a warm smile. It was as if Ivan was learning from Lia, and Lia was learning from Ivan.

"Che."

Lia grumbled underneath her breath and crossed her arms, looking a lot like a spoilt child who got recently scolded. With this, she ducked out from under Ivan's hand and pursed her lips irritably.

"Whatever."

She just didn't want to go to school, to be judged. What if there was someone like… like Edward when they first met? She didn't want unreasonable hatred. She was bound to get weird looks, especially if she were to wear her blindfold.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but she did have her own handful of fears.

She didn't to feel that certain isolation. It was fine, being hated; but to be alone?

Lia stood up. Her face felt like it was burning, for multiple reasons, and she clenched her fists lightly.

"I'm going to…"

Without finishing her mumbled sentence, she sprinted away and entered her room with a resounding bang.

The two males were left in silence, until Principal Massini murmured, "Five o'clock, at the Justice Tower. You'll meet the other Heroes and there'll be a welcoming party. It is also the place you'll meet your sponsors. Don't be late."

**…is always through.**

* * *

Bet you weren't expecting that steamy shower scene aye?

/chortles.

Sorry. I was a bit tired when I was writing that so I... yeah.

Anyway **sophiashyaway**, is that good enough? A thousand words longer? Hahaha. It was fun writing and I really hope you like it...? You're one of those awesome reviewers so if you have any tips, tell me yeah?

/squints at writing. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I'm just looking at it with this look on my face and it's like...

...

Hmm...

Ivan's actions will be explained in due time /cough next update cough. He most likely feels some sort of something for Lia that's akin to _responsibility_ now because well, her situation and stuff. And that responsibility may or may not be a good thing, honestly.

Hah, well, I have no idea either but I'm going to flesh it out, alright? Hold on.

And no, the feeling that Lia feels is not love. It's like... you know when you pet your dog or cat and it leans into your touch? Yeah. Lia has a thing for being pet on the head. That's why she reacts relatively well to it and to her it's like a sign of affection because her dad/mum used to do it and she kind of misses it, ya feel me?

Uh sorry if this isn't good enough. I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone, although I can say I did try my best... I think orz. Sorry, sorry. And sorry if there are any mistakes. Notify me if there are, please.

You guys are awesome and thanks to that one person who favourited!

Ah, and friendship will come first although it will be hinted throughout the story that there is some type of attraction there, because Lia already has something and blah, and Ivan is Ivan and such... I'm not making sense, huh.

It'll be slow, their relationship.

I'll try to make it slow and progressive and all those good things.

Next chapter they'll probably meet all the other Heroes~!

_/whispers oh boy how am I going to do this-_


End file.
